Product Information

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Format: DRM Protected ePubVendor: Tyndale HousePublication Date: 2012

ISBN: 9781414374178ISBN-13: 9781414374178

Publisher's Description

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Days before Chad Williams was to report to military duty in Great Lakes, Illinois, he turned on a television and was greeted with the horrifying images of his mentor, US Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston, being brutally murdered in a premeditated ambush on the roads of Fallujah, Iraq. Steeled in his resolve, Chad followed in Scotts footsteps and completed the US militarys most difficult and grueling training to become a Navy SEAL. One of only 13 from a class of 173 to make it straight through to graduation, Chad served his country on SEAL Teams One and Seven for five years, completing tours of duty in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Iraq.

Part memoir, part evangelism piece, SEAL of God follows Chads journey through the grueling Naval Ops training and onto the streets of Iraq, where he witnessed the horrors of war up close. Along the way, Chad shares his own radical conversion story and talks about how he draws on his own experiences as a SEAL to help others better understand the depths of Christs sacrifice and love.

From the moment you pick up Seal of God by Chad Williams, you will be completely hooked until the very end. We all have an interest in things we don't know an awful lot about, the secret training required of Navy SEALs, the bond that is created once you have passed all the grueling training that would leave most of us in the dust, but there is something honest about the story that Chad Williams shares about his own journey in trying to find something to fill the empty hole in his life. This is a true story of how one SEAL found God and how he is using his testimony to change lives forever.

Chad Williams wanted more than simply going through the motions required of us all. You attend school, graduate, head to college and plan on gaining an education that will set the foundation for the remainder of your life. But somewhere along the way, Chad realized he wanted something more than what everyone was doing. He wanted to make his life count for something more than a paper you hang on the way. He wanted to be able to look back and be amazed he did something that only a handful would ever dream of doing. He wanted to become a Navy SEAL.

His father was less than thrilled to learn that Chad was giving up on the college dream to pursue something he didn't believe Chad could do. Mostly into hanging out with his skateboarding buddies, partying from the success he found at being a professional skateboarder and earning sponsors like Vans, Chad enjoyed the popularity and fame that came from that but something was still missing. He vowed he would endure whatever Hell the military would put him through just to make it to the end, despite what his father felt was sure to be a bonafide attempt and failure. In fact before Chad even made it to training and enrollment, his father, contacted a Navy SEAL and begged him to show Chad he didn't have what it took to even begin this journey into the military. The man agreed to meet Chad and invited him to "come and play" via an email. Was Chad up for the challenge?

The challenge would be something that would change not only Chad, but his father and the man who would train him and become his mentor through Chad's entire journey, US Navy Seal, Scott Helvenston. What started out as an effort to make something of himself to be proud of, would take him into a journey of darkness and horror beyond anything most of our minds can't comprehend and in the end would leave him a far different man than he ever dreamed possible.

I received Seal of God by Chad Williams as a purchase and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. I had the rare opportunity to witness Chad Williams speak at our church in California, and he is both engaging, charismatic and convincing. His testimony speaks of the love of friendship, the bond of brothers the SEALs share, the price of revenge, and the cost of loss of life of those we love and admire. It is a heart-breaking journey into the darkness of finding it all, achieving success and winding up empty when you arrive because the fulfillment we find when we rise to the top of corporate ladders is empty and the only thing there is people trying to knock you off and take your place at all costs. This is an eye opener for any one looking to find purpose in their own life. For Chad Williams, the journey wasn't an easy one, one he might not want to take again, but it is one worth all the blood, sweat and tears he faced to get where he is today. In my opinion, well worth every 5 out of 5 stars. For those looking at what it really takes to get into the Navy SEALs or to find purpose in your own life, check this one out.

Downloaded the eBook of this the other day. As a retired military member, it is the kind of book that is right up my alley. The beginning of the book is very familiar to me. Fantastic... and I haven't finished it yet! Can't wait to finish reading it!

Share it with the man in your life. For any man who is trying to prove himself and find his way back to God, Seal for God is for you.

For those who believe their heart is not open to the Lord's leading, this book is for you. Mr. Williams writes from an open and authenic heart, from one friend to another.

Seal for God follows Mr. Williams through military basic training and continues with the difficult journey of SEAL training. By the end of Chapter 6: Hell Week, as a reader, I was exhausted.

Seal for God greets the reader with the real grit of life: the accomplishments, the failures, and God's call between. Like Mr. Williams, I set high standards for myself to prove myself to myself and hearing God's call in the midst of my striving.

Honest to the core, Chapter 10: The Night that Changed Everything is especially well-written. As a reader, I did not know if I should laugh with the filling of the Holy Spirit or cry with pure joy. Hearing Greg Laurie's message theme and tone through out the scene made William's testimony all the more poignant.

Seal for God is the story of life, death, and resurrection. Throughout the book, the reader will see themselves and their own struggles. Seal for God brings hope by the blood of the Lamb and the Words of our Testimony. Truly the tale of the transformed life.

I've always held our military in high esteem, knowing the sacrifices they make are far above anything we can imagine. But the SEALs...wow! Chad's book gives us a healthy dose of what SEAL training consists of, and I have a new respect for these elite warriors.

Chad's story is a familiar one: raised in a Christian home, wandering down the wrong path and into full-blown rebellion. What makes his tale unique is his gut-level desire to become a Navy SEAL, and how God used his training to begin to lead him back home and to win Chad's heart for Christ.

He is an excellent storyteller, and the book is engaging and authentic. The stories Chad shares about his life with his younger brother reminded me of my husband and his younger brother and the mischief those two often got into together. In fact, Chad reminded me a lot of my husband (minus the military training!).

This is mostly a memoir of becoming a SEAL, but it's also about God pursuing a young man's heart, and the obvious change in Chad's life once he surrendered to God. I would have enjoyed a bit more about his life after he accepted Christ, but the book is still well-balanced and detailed...and you really appreciate what Chad endured to achieve his goal.

You also get a better sense of why Chad finally chose Christ...but I won't spoil it for you. It's better if you read it for yourself.

I received my copy of "SEAL of God" by swiping it off of my husband's bookshelf, and he received it from Greg Laurie and Harvest Ministries (why, I have no idea...I'm still looking into that one!).